


Spring

by Fish_on_the_tree



Category: Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Fix-It, i haven't known shit of the canon back then, love saves the day and other fluff, very alternative
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-26
Updated: 2017-07-26
Packaged: 2018-12-07 09:08:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 15,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11620422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fish_on_the_tree/pseuds/Fish_on_the_tree
Summary: One day in the labs Sephiroth meets a new inhabitant. Very AU, very not canon compliant.





	1. Chapter 1

It happened about half a year after the end of the Wutai War. Sephiroth was going towards the main laboratory of the Shin-Ra central building for his weekly regular examinations. There was no sign of emotion on his face but somebody who knew him well enough might have noticed the way the rhythm of his movement differed from normal- slightly tight, slightly stiff, a contrast to his usual smooth and fluid paces. Like someone who was forcing his limbs to move with great strain.

Not that he feared; he had refused that emotion years and years ago. Moreover as the youngest, most successful and by far the strongest General of the Shin-Ra army no one was allowed to experiment on him anymore, at least not to the degree that might make him unfit for combat in the event of an emergency. So there was nothing to fear, but even the passing of years wasn't enough to get over the repulsion the sight and smell of the laboratory evoked. To not count the minutes until he could finally leave. To not breathe deeply when he finally exited through the door.

He walked past a door closed off with bars where a new subject sat on the bed, remembering that last week that cell had been empty. He merely detected that there was somebody inside, some color before the white walls, but he didn't care who it might be as the lab was a revolving door of subjects who vanished almost as quickly as they arrived. If he wanted to retain the hard-won, relative peace he had now, he couldn't allow himself to care for the misfortune of the other test subjects.

A few hours later he was on his way out, and although he was restraining the urge to run, he still slowed for a second to look at the occupant of the cell. A young girl sat there. The mature, tranquil way she looked back at the man passing before her door seemed somewhat strange in her gleaming green eyes and open, kind face. Maybe she was even smiling, but Sephiroth didn't stop to confirm. He wanted to be out so he could put the laboratory out of his mind until the next visit.

Much to his surprise, the new girl was still there in the cell the next time, moreover without any visible change in her appearance or expression. Either they treated her with extraordinary care or she had unprecedented resistance to the conditions of the laboratory. Over time he found it increasingly singular that she remained unscathed both physically and mentally. She never failed to smile at him, though she couldn't have seen anything of him but a blur of black coat. He found himself always sparing a glance checking that she was still alright, and pondering what she did to keep herself sane, an experiment shut up closed in an empty room. He developed a kind of interest even though it evoked memories that unpleasantly started with 'when I was here...' There were things that, if possible, he would rather not remember.

 

* * *

This pattern was broken though one day, around a month after she had first appeared. Sephiroth heard a quiet singing voice on his way out. The corridor was uninhabited except that one cell and was rarely used save by him. It had to be the girl singing- some simple melody, words about the flight of birds and bloom of flowers and Sephiroth, although he had seen both bird and flower, had never heard a lullaby before. He stood, a little further off the door, and listened in silence. The female voice reminded him of something he couldn't exactly remember, a warm and sweet feeling that must have been a dream, or imagined from books as a child.

From that day forward he didn't hurry as much out of the laboratory and often caught the girl singing or telling stories to herself, tales in verse of how the Ancients had spun the threads of life into magic. Although he didn't understand every part of the tales, he stood week after week beside the cell, leaning against the wall and listening to the girl's melodic voice and imagining the luminous woods. He indulged in those unknown worlds the same as when he hadn't had any other way not to go mad with the waiting.

He stood just the same the day the girl told herself how the Ancients had stopped the disaster from the skies with the power of Holy. Her thoughts must have strayed as she stopped halfway through a line and didn't continue after long minutes.

"How was it after that?" Sephiroth surprised them both when he spoke, his deep voice nearly shaking the air of the silent corridor. The girl took a deep breath and finished the verse. From then on she told the stories somewhat directly to him, at times even talked to him in a strange, one-sided dialogue as Sephiroth never answered, just listened.

 

* * *

They continued this way until one day instead of singing he heard crying from the cell. He halted at his usual spot, where he could not be seen from inside the cell other than maybe only as a black shadow. His fists clenched at the thought of what they might have done to her. Sympathy for someone else's pain wasn't something he experienced frequently and never since Genesis and Angeal, but he could easily sympathize with how it was to be a test subject in Hojo's laboratory. Not that he could do anything about it.

He waited in silence until the loud sobs stilled to sniffling, then took out a handkerchief and offered it through the bars, still with his back turned to the cell. The girl noticed the movement, and took the handkerchief. She also turned, leaned against the bars on the other side and quietly cried for a while. Sephiroth waited patiently; he had always been good at waiting. He tried to remember how to comfort somebody crying, somebody whose crying also made him feel sad.

"Thank you," whispered the girl softly. Sephiroth didn't answer. They stood there for a long time, in silence, back to back, away from each other on either side of the wall.

"Did they experiment... hurt you?" He spoke finally, his voice unusually hesitating.

"No" she answered. "Not me. But I saw what they did." Her voice broke from the memory. Sephiroth found it strange that something that hadn't actually happened to her could agitate her so. Surely she hadn't seen much cruelty in her life if she reacted this strongly.

"Thank you for staying with me. It's so much easier."

The honest gratitude and warmth in the girl's voice caught Sephiroth off guard. Who was ever grateful to him? Suddenly he noticed a hand searching for him through the bars, a slender and soft hand. It reached him, and grasped his hand. The touch was warm even through his gloves, curiously tingling and soothing at the same time. Sephiroth let the girl hold his hand and a distant memory emerged in him slowly, about the time when everything was worse but he somehow believed that someday it could still be good.


	2. Chapter 2

The next night, after hours, a dark figure walked under the red night lights of the laboratory corridor, red glinting off the silver armor, the silver hair, the hilt of a sword. This was the first time Sephiroth had come to the laboratory on his own accord and it was an unusual feeling to have nobody awaiting him with tests. Nobody knew that he was there. He could leave any time.

He stopped in front of the cell and listened. He sensed that the girl was awake though didn't hear any noise from her. Inside it was completely dark; the lamps of the corridor too weak to reach into the cell. Suddenly a bed creaked, light steps sounded on the stone floor, and the girl appeared before the bars. She wasn't smiling now. Her eyes were grave, maybe because of the night, maybe the hours also passed slowly for her in the dark. Sephiroth studied her face to see whether she cried. He thought he had cried at night, a long time ago. But he could not read from her face what she felt now.

"Are you still sad?" He asked at last. Recently he only spoke when giving orders. Angeal had died, Genesis had died, and Zack had stayed in Nibelheim to clean up the rest of the clones. Whom would he speak to? He felt casual speech unfamiliar. As if it didn't fit him to speak to people.

The girl shook her head and smiled, but her eyes remained serious.

"It's just bad to be locked up."

Sephiroth nodded. He had nothing to add to this.

"It was kind of you to come here." said the girl, her voice caressing the man like a warm breeze.

So this is kindness? He suddenly felt like he had found a well in an endless desert and some unknown thirst filled him. He remembered the warmth of the girl's hand, the closeness of another person. Maybe he had always been waiting for this for so long that even the feeling of expectancy had faded. Had he truly given up longing? For how long had he wandered in an empty desert, in a nightmare? Had he ever lived any other way?

"What is your name?" The girl's question brought him back to the present. Hojo never forbade him to talk with the other test subjects although he'd always taken notes meanwhile. But this time Hojo wasn't here.

"Sephiroth."

"I am Aerith Gainsborough. Nice to meet you." All at once the girl started to laugh most naturally and her voice sounded like the music of bells. "Although it would have been better if we met somewhere else."

A faint smile formed on Sephiroth's face, maybe visible in the dim light or maybe not. He nodded.

"The light of the mako is strong in your eyes. Are you SOLDIER? What rank?"

"General."

"And what does such a high-ranking officer do in the laboratories? I haven't seen any other SOLDIER here, only the researchers."

"Tests. My father wanted to continue them." He shrugged. "I was raised here."

"Who is your father?" Aerith whispered, stunned.

"Hojo." No emotion reflected in his voice, nor on his face as he said it. There was a time when he had difficulty admitting the fact, but by now he had grown accustomed to it. Aerith, however, flinched and took a startled step back, the terror clear in her eyes as she covered her mouth with her hands. She spoke shakily.

"And he experimented on his own son?"

Sephiroth could only nod. Yes, he understood most parents did not use their children that way. But he had never lived otherwise and more than twenty years were enough to get used to many things. To learn to survive them.

Aerith most likely thought otherwise as she stepped next to the bars and reached out her hand. Sephiroth involuntarily took a step forward and let her grab his hand. Her touch gave the same warm feeling of the previous day. Aerith looked up to the man, tears running down on her face as she shook her head.

"That monster..." she whispered. Despite the dark Sephiroth now clearly saw her eyes; the sympathy almost glowed in her look. A heat he couldn't name overflowed him, clenched his insides so he could hardly breathe, as if he were being pressed and torn apart at the same time by the sensations. They burned his throat and he could do nothing to relieve himself. Any other time he would grab his sword and train until he was rendered empty and calm, but now the girl held on to his hand and he found he didn't want to let go. He lowered his head, leaned into the bars and breathed deep to regain his self-control. He didn't want a breach in the solid armor he'd built with so much hardship.

Suddenly he felt a soft touch on his hair. Aerith gently caressed him like she wanted to console him for all the pain he endured, and as she sang something softly Sephiroth surrendered. They stood there for a long time, holding on through the bars, the small girl comforting the man.

 

* * *

From then on he didn't go to the deserted corridor only when he had to go to his tests, but slowly spent all his free nights there listening to the girl. Aerith told him about the Cetras, the ancient inhabitants of the planet, and that the planet was a living being with its own will, and the Cetras had been able to communicate with it. She said her mother was the last Cetra and that she was half, and could hear the voice of the planet too, and she was brought here for the scientists to study the Cetras' abilities through her. She had been there before, as a child, but then somebody helped her escape. She told him about her friends with whom she grew up, the shimmering forest where her mother had lived, the flowers she had tried to tend under the eternally clouded sky of Midgar. She spoke about her concern that the planet was more and more angry with the ongoing exploitation and was primed for revolt. Sephiroth listened and wondered that the girl didn't think of him as one of her enemies and that he might use what she told against her. He didn't remember if he'd ever seen such trust. Slowly he opened too, and briefly spoke about himself, about how it was to be an elite SOLDIER- the fights, the friends who were dead. But he never spoke of the recurrent dream that haunted him since first looking at the girl. In his dream Aerith knelt on the floor in the dark, with eyes closed and hands clasped, and he stood behind her, raised his long sword and stabbed her until his bloody blade came through her chest as she collapsed, lifeless. He startled out of sleep every night, unable to decide amid the turbulent voices of chaos inside whether he dreaded this dream or desired it. But when he stood face to face with the girl the memory of the dream sank into oblivion and Sephiroth was calm. Until each night the dreams started over again.

 

* * *

Three months had passed since they first met when one night Sephiroth stood before the bars as usual, and waited for the girl. The minutes passed but nothing moved in the cell. He sensed that the girl was there but no matter how he listened, he didn't hear her breathing. Not even the subtlest noise indicated that there was a living human inside.

"Aerith." he whispered.

No answer came. He called the girl a little more loudly but she gave no reaction. A gasping breath then broke the silence, followed by a low, a strained groan and whining crying. He didn't know what to do. Worry tugged at him and he wanted to go in, to see what happened, to relieve her pain if he could and make certain her life was not in danger. He knew the code to all of the closed cells of the laboratory but the alarm triggered in the central office if one was opened after working hours.

"Seph..."

Aerith's voice was dim, she couldn't even say his name fully. A barely audible yet horrible sound tore up from her as she screamed through clenched teeth. Sephiroth opened the door and ran inside. He had about eight minutes, he calculated, before the guards would arrive. He kneeled beside the girl and checked her for injury but only found a small strip of plaster on her arm. He touched her, felt her muscles trembling with perpetual spasms under his hand. Aerith gasped for air, panted, then her whole body strained and a drop of blood ran down her lip where she bit it. When the cramp eased, she tried to sit up while holding onto Sephiroth but a loud whine escaped her mouth and she stooped over and started to retch. Relieved a bit, she fell back to the bed.

"What did he use on you?" asked Sephiroth with so much fierce hatred in his voice that it surprised even himself.

"Poison," she answered. She tried to say something more, but her words were hardly intelligible from the constant shaking. "Whether I can stop it. Lasts two days, he said. This morning."

Sephiroth knew this serum; indeed its effect ceased after two days and didn't cause permanent damage. Only terrible pain. He helped the girl to a sitting position but saw that her cramps were worse this way, and he was powerless to help. He was seized with the impulse to take her out there, to save her from Hojo and his vicious testing. Sephiroth had healing materia in his room, which would dissolve the poison in a minute.

"Can you stand? We will go to my room, I have healing materia there."

Aerith feebly nodded that she would try, but as she stood up she collapsed like a ragdoll. This was exactly the moment when two guards stepped into the cell. Before they knew what hit them they were down on the floor, unconscious. Sephiroth sent a reply to the central system through one's phone, false alarm, he wrote. This earned them a few hours until someone found the guards and got them conscious, because when he knocked out somebody they did not get up anytime soon. He bent down to Aerith, who was barely conscious now, and lifted her, placing her on his right arm like a small child. In his left he held his unsheathed sword, ready for anything. Although he chose the most vacant corridors, his determined expression alone would likely deter anyone who dared to stop him. Luckily they didn't meet anybody and they only paused once to wait for Aerith's next seizure to subside. As he looked at the fragile girl in his arms who now sobbed, clutched his uniform and tried her best to restrain the screams, a determination solidified inside him: no matter what, he would rescue this girl from here. He couldn't imagine what kind of monster Hojo must be to cause such pain to this defenseless creature.


	3. Chapter 3

As the materia started to work, Aerith regained her normal breath and she was able to sit up by herself and smile faintly at Sephiroth. The man lowered himself down beside her on the narrow bed with a relieved sigh.

"The guards won't be found before morning unless they regain consciousness sooner, which I don't think will happen. You have an hour to rest, then you must depart."

"Thank you." The girl gratefully squeezed his hand. They sat this way for a while, until at last Aerith broke the silence. "Will you come with me?"

Sephiroth didn't answer. At this moment he couldn't yet account for his actions. It was clear he wanted to help the girl escape, but he didn't have the faintest idea what he would do afterwards. Instead of answering, he diverted the topic to something safer.

"What did they expect to learn from you?"

"I wasn't exactly willing to tell them how my abilities work and whether I can heal without materia." Aerith wearily shook her head. "Maybe it would have been better to answer, but I was stubborn and didn't expect it to be so bad. Anyway, I cannot heal, at least not so easily. Sometimes I can heal others, but it needs concentration, lots of it, and that I couldn't do. I tried once, to try and ease the pain, but I fainted before anything happened. Well, at least they don't get any information if I faint."

Sephiroth wondered at the way the girl could preserve her sense of humor even in this situation. He thought her brave, remembering it took years for him to be able to wait silently until the poison wore away. From some sudden impulse he reached out, and lightly caressed her hand, still interwoven with his. She smiled warmly, and returned the touch.

"What are you going to do now?" He asked.

"I'm not sure. The Lifestream is troubled; soon it will revolt if the extraction continues. I must do something, prevent it somehow, or many will die!"

"You claim the operation of the Shin-Ra directly endangers the planet?"

"Yes, it does! They drain the Lifestream as if it were any other substance, not the souls of all living things, a conscious being. They should know better! Even the knowledge of the Cetras isn't wholly forgotten, but they don't want to pay attention," she stated fervently. She looked up to Sephiroth questioningly. "You are a Shin-Ra SOLDIER; don't you want to stop me?"

He shook his head. He still wasn't ready to decide his course, but doubts had shaken his loyalty to the company long ago. Doubts born of missions where he had to clean up after the failures of the Shin-Ra, especially the end of Angeal and Genesis, but even the fact that Hojo carried the acknowledgement and trust of the President with his experiments reflected poorly on the company.

"There is something wrong with us SOLDIERs" he said carefully, "I don't know what, but I must find it."

_Before I end up like Genesis_ , he added the thought that had haunted him for months.

"No one would be like you from the mako alone," Aerith agreed and asked again: "Will you come with me?"

When Sephiroth nodded such honest joy lighted up the girl's eyes that his throat and stomach tightened with a burning sensation.

"I'll try to ask the Lifestream where we should start."

Sephiroth only saw her sitting with clasped hands, head bowed and eyes closed, for a short time. When she lifted her head, she asked, a little confused, "Nibelheim, we should go to Nibelheim. There is something there that will give answers for the both of us. Do you have any idea?"

"Hojo's other laboratory, under the old Shin-Ra manor," replied the man without a hint of hesitation. Whatever he sought, it was linked to Hojo, and he knew this laboratory inside and out. There was nothing here that could tell him more about himself.

"Okay, and I have my friends there, who I was growing up with before I came to Midgar with the rebels. Some of them are also part of the rebellion" she added.

Sephiroth nodded. He didn't necessarily understand why Aerith trusted him so readily, but for his part now he was sure that after knocking out two guards, abducting one of Hojo's favorite test subjects, and now preparing to break into his private laboratory he no longer counted himself as a Shin-Ra employee. He wouldn't have started if this resolve hadn't already been nursed inside him. He somewhat wondered why he hadn't questioned the system earlier. Although he  _had_  questioned it, at the death of his friends. Only he hadn't questioned whether he could change anything.

Suddenly the pieces fell together. Hojo's design of his education now clear in his mind, how he intended for Sephiroth not to realize his own power so as not to turn against him, to stay his obedient son, test subject and tool, the ultimate weapon. Now a new-found sense of freedom filled him, as if wings sprouted from his side, allowing him to do anything. He could even introduce Hojo to his sword. He found it exceedingly difficult to contain the urge to do that right away, but the safety of the girl was his first priority and more answers awaited them at Nibelheim that would definitely add to Hojo's debt. He had time. He had done nothing for so long that a little time more would make no difference. Hojo would wait for him, although Hojo had better be running for his life. He arose so abruptly from the bed that Aerith looked up, surprised from the sudden movement. Seeing his expression, she involuntarily flinched.

"What are you thinking about?" She asked, startled.

"Just planning the future," he replied with a wide smile, and then noticed Aerith's reaction. He hadn't intended to frighten her. "I was just thinking about how it is time for Hojo to give account of his deeds."

Aerith relaxed. Indeed Sephiroth's predatory look had scared her, but with Hojo, it was understandable.

"Yes, it would be good if he wasn't allowed to experiment anymore."

"He won't," Sephiroth promised. "Now rest."

Refreshed from reaching a decision he started to pack. If he got his hands on a bike they could arrive at Nibelheim the next evening. They departed as soon as they were ready, stepping cautiously into corridors, deserted at those early hours. Aerith could already walk without help, but she was exhausted and stopped to rest so often that Sephiroth thought it best to pick her up and carry her instead. As they left the tower, Aerith saw for the first time why people spoke of SOLDIER with awe when Sephiroth assaulted four guards while carrying her on his arm, with such speed the unfortunate guards couldn't have seen anything of him but a black blur. She briefly wondered, did her one SOLDIER friend have the same speed, same strength? It was hard to imagine.

 

* * *

Aerith couldn't remember much of the journey afterwards. During the first day she was too exhausted to be awake but sitting across the bike in front of Sephiroth wasn't really a comfortable position to sleep, so she stayed in a half-conscious daze. At least she could sleep the whole night through, and woke up feeling rested. When they started the next day, she found the need to clarify something.

"Sephiroth,  _why_  did you come with me?"

He didn't know what to say. He didn't thoroughly understand what had happened, or how he should describe the diffuse sensations whirling inside of him, the warmth he felt in her presence, or the thirst, the concern, the joy. He never felt anything even remotely similar, and he didn't often encounter situations where he needed to describe emotions, so he couldn't find the appropriate words.

"I wanted to be with you," he simply answered, looking somewhere toward the horizon.

Aerith smiled, held his waist more tightly and leaned her head against him.

"I also want to be with you," she said.

Heat flooded Sephiroth. He accelerated, hoping the cold wind would cool him down.


	4. Chapter 4

They broke into the Mt. Nibel reactor at the darkest hour of the night and found it empty. Fortunately, Shin-Ra didn't bother with guards in a reactor that far from Midgar. There was something hidden deep there, both Sephiroth and Aerith felt it, like a pull, a call from the distance. Something important. To him, it was like a soft singing voice, guiding his steps, farther and deeper forward until they came to a halt in front of a closed iron door. JENOVA, read the sign above it. Sephiroth frowned. Was that not his mother's name? He broke the lock and slowly opened the door. Inside, they found a small room with a glass tank placed in the middle, on a high dais. Tubes and wires wound around the whole room, all connected to the tank. They stared, stunned in the eerie blue light, unable to turn from the creature suspended inside the glass.

"The Calamity from the skies," whispered Aerith, horrified, her voice barely audible in the heavy silence that hung around them. Sephiroth stood still, his fists clenched but visibly trembling, the muscles twitching slightly around his eyes. He gasped for breath, trying to still the sudden flood of emotions threatening to overcome him. Memories, fragments of dialogue caught from the scientists crossed his mind, building up to a frightening realization. The more he wanted to suppress them the more strength they gained, until his whole being was like a leaf caught in a whirlwind of torment. The blood roared in his ears, his vision blurred, and a sour taste spread in his mouth.

Aerith looked up at him, worried as she recalled the scarce tales about his childhood, his origin.

"I ... Jenova, my mother... NOOOO!" he howled. "No, not this, it cannot be my mother!"

Abruptly, he turned his back at the glass, unable to face it anymore. He struck at the door with uncontrollable anger, his fist leaving a dent in the thick metal. He held on to the frame, gasping for air, his sight focused inward as the fragmented words of an unbearable truth tore from him.

"My father ... Hojo ... he knew, he did it ... that I, and my mother..."

He couldn't continue. Aerith touched his arm with endless concern in her beautiful, deep green eyes. That warmth had touched him many times before but Sephiroth could see nothing apart from his nightmares. Suddenly he straightened up, looking directly at the tank. Instead of broken, now he seemed possessed. His strange, cat-like eyes practically flamed with the intensity of his emotions as his lips curled to a twisted smile.

"So this is the answer to all the riddles! SOLDIERs are monsters, just like you said, Genesis, we truly are monsters. This is the mother I never met! Jenova! Let everything burn, this world that betrayed you and I!"

"Sephiroth! Come back to yourself, please!" Aerith pleaded in vain.

"To myself? And who am I?"

He looked at the girl, saw the tears on her cheeks but didn't feel anything beside ruthless, ice-cold fury. His expression was even colder than before meeting Aerith.

"I am not human. I am the heir of Jenova."

It frightened Aerith deep inside to see him this dreadfully alien, but it pained her more to see his suffering. What would it feel like to realize you weren't simply a not-so-ordinary human but not human at all, just the result of a mad experiment? That your own father destined you for nothing more than that from the beginning? She looked at him in tears, heart heavy with sorrow. She must, must bring him back from this madness, show him that he belonged here, had a place beside her, that she wanted him just the same.

"Sephiroth, you are you, and I love you," she whispered and cautiously touched his face.

His eyes flickered then cleared, as though emerging from a vision, and finally registered the image of the girl standing in front of him. Aerith cried and smiled at him at the same time, her eyes full of concern and warmth and love while she softly caressed his face. The warmth of that slender hand reminded him where he wanted to belong. He grabbed that hand, for a second some possession flashed through his eyes again but the moment passed, and he dropped to his knees like one exhausted from struggling with too strong an opponent. Aerith knelt down and embraced him while Sephiroth laid his head in her lap, silent sobs shaking him. She leaned her face to his silver hair, and softly sang a small lullaby to him. She was grateful that she could be there beside him, could give him something he needed.

Behind them, inside the luminous blue tank, the silver-haired, cat-eyed creature floated with an uninterested look.

 

* * *

The abandoned Shin-Ra manor. For a long time it stood desolate above the small town, a dark and looming presence. They broke into it, feeling its air oddly oppressive while they searched for Hojo's lab and further information on the Project Jenova. They went hurriedly through bookshelves and cabinets, collecting and reading anything related to Sephiroth. He seemed calm and collected again, and instead of the previous obsession his face now held his normal expression of intent purposefulness as he scanned through one note after another. Sephiroth had searched his whole life for these answers and now he had them. They weren't what he expected, were far more cruel than he ever imagined, but he was finally free from uncertainty.

"Let's get out of here," Aerith said and shivered. She was shaken from all those technical, emotionless descriptions of the whole inhuman experiment. She wondered, did those scientists truly not understand what they were doing? Didn't they feel any compassion, any humanity?

"I know a place, my friend is living there, she will give us a place to stay," Aerith said.

Sephiroth nodded, but didn't move. He looked back at the direction of the reactor where Jenova lay and his eyes flashed for a moment with a crazy light, but he steadied himself. He took a deep breath and when he turned to Aerith, his look was once again open and determined.

"If the hatred overtakes me once more, will you try to bring me back?"

"Yes," nodded Aerith.

"And if you fail and I want to destroy the world, will you fight me?"

"Yes." Aerith's voice didn't falter.

"I would try to kill you."

"I know."

Sephiroth nodded, having reached a decision beyond all doubt.

"The Shin-Ra Company must perish," he said, then remembered the strange siren-song pull leading him to the reactor, so he added to himself:  _And Jenova too_.

She squeezed his hand.

"First we need food and rest. When they captured me, I was working with other rebels in Midgar. I had no idea that Hojo was still looking for me after all those years! But before moving to Midgar I was living here, after my mother escaped the labs with me. The house where her friends hid us, up in the glens of the mountain, that must be still safe. Get us out of this horrid labyrinth and I'll show the way to my friend's place."

 

* * *

The backdoor of the house of Nibelheim's mayor opened to a small, unlighted alley. In that open door now a dark haired girl stood, somewhere around fourteen years old, the only child of the mayor. The expression of surprise on her face soon changed to joy as she recognized the other girl standing before her.

"Aerith! How did you get here? We were so worried when you disappeared!" And she jumped and hugged her. Aerith smiled, and hugged the shorter girl back.

"The agents of Hojo captured me, I think they're still after me. Tifa, can you hide us for the night? This is my friend, he helped me out of the labs."

"Of course, the room below is safe as usual. Come in!"

Aerith entered the house, followed by Sephiroth, who stepped out of the shadows of the alley into the light of the open door like a vision emerging from dense fog. Tifa's arms fell weakly to her side, her eyes were wide with shock, and she whispered in a thin voice.

"General...Sephiroth?"

"Yes, Tifa, he is Sephiroth, he helped me escape," Aerith repeated. "Sephiroth, this is Tifa, one of my friends I told you about. Let's go down the room, it is important that we speak about the new developments, the sooner the better."

They passed the girl who was still stood agape. He politely nodded to her, not taking note of how the mere sight of him made the girl completely frozen.

"The ultimate weapon of Shin-Ra," Tifa muttered, then shook her head in hope of waking up if it were a dream. The man didn't disappear so she had to believe she wasn't dreaming. Oh wow, she thought to herself, and followed the two to the hidden chamber.

 

* * *

It was close to daybreak when Aerith told everything that had happened in the last few months, starting from when they imprisoned her to her escape. She didn't say anything about Sephiroth except that he was the one who had saved her, and didn't mention the laboratory under the manor, nor the chamber in the heart of the reactor. Sephiroth didn't say a single word the whole time.

"The Lifestream is unsettled. I don't know how much time we have. If we don't succeed in stopping the exploitation, the planet will act and that would bring about more suffering than I dare to imagine. We must hurry!" She finished at last.

"Alright I'll gather the others. We are well prepared for this day. But first, there is a thing I must know. Sephiroth." Tifa took a deep breath, gathered herself and turned to the silent man with a courage contradicting her young age. "What are you doing here?"

Aerith interrupted. "Is it not enough that I completely trust him?"

"No. Aerith, I'm responsible for all the others too! I need to know! Shin-Ra SOLDIER, General, why are you betraying your company?"

"I'm no longer General," pointed out the man, and his voice retained a matter-of-fact tone. "Since I attacked guards so that Aerith could escape."

"That's good but doesn't explain why are you willing to stand up against them. Maybe they would overlook it for you, and welcome you back. Or you could stay out of the whole affair, not getting involved anymore."

"I have to fight, either against the planet or against Shin-Ra. And Shin-Ra must be destroyed. But you have no right to ask my reasons!"

Tifa stared at him, confused. What did he mean, he had to fight? She started to speak, to ask him, but decided against it. There was something in his voice, apart from the sudden threatening anger, that convinced her that Sephiroth would go against the Shin-Ra Company all by himself if he had to. Whatever it might be, he didn't seem like a man who changed his mind halfway. Tifa was young, but working as the contact point of the rebellion for two years she was forced to learn how to measure people quickly and correctly. So she nodded, her tense expression relaxed a bit, and she turned to Aerith again.

"Do you have any plans for now? I need a few days to round up everybody."

"I thought we might hide in the old house, up in the glen. The most important thing for us is to remain unnoticed."

"Sure, we have more chance to win this fight with you two on our side," Tifa smiled, but sighed sadly. "Somehow we should speak with Zack too. I don't want to fight my childhood friends, and I'm sure you feel the same, but it will be hard telling him to join us. I don't know what to do. He is loyal, and is always insisting on something like 'The Honor of SOLDIER', whatever that might be."

"Zack Fair, SOLDIER First Class? I will convince him," Sephiroth suddenly interjected. "I will look out for Angeal's favorite student. Show him where he can truly find his honor."

Tifa looked at him, surprised. She hadn't known that Zack personally knew the General; he never told them, even though normally he constantly chatted about something.

"Alright, and if I send the message to him, nobody will know that he'll be meeting you. He's up in the mountains now, hunting monsters. I don't know when he will be back, but I think if everything goes well, you can meet him here in a few days."

Tifa then stood up, leaving them for a few hours to sleep until sunrise. She turned back from the door to ask if they needed anything else and so saw Aerith holding Sephiroth's hand and smiling at him happily. Sephiroth's hair hid his expression, but as Tifa silently closed the door behind her, she had the feeling she discovered one of the reasons the man sided with the rebellion. She went up to her room with a wide grin stretched on her face.


	5. Chapter 5

"I'm so glad you arrived on time! Is everything okay on the mountain?" Tifa exclaimed when she opened the door to Aerith and Sephiroth, merely two days after their meeting. She guided them into the house quickly, worrying that somebody might have seen them in the small town even if it was after nightfall and the roads seemed empty.

"I know I said a few days but Zack came back yesterday and it was such a hurry to organize everything and I kept my fingers crossed that nobody noticed anything suspicious, I was on the edge the whole time! He said he's off duty tonight, but starting tomorrow he needs to sweep the southwestern area again, so we didn't have any other time to meet."

"Calm down, Tifa, it's okay," Aerith reassured her. Tifa was only two years younger than her, but at times like these the age difference between them seemed a lot more. Maybe the time in Hojo's laboratory paid off in composure.

"When will Zack arrive?" She asked.

"He's already here." Tifa said.

Aerith looked at Sephiroth, questioning what they should do next.

"I will go," he said. He didn't need to plan how to convince Zack. Since Angeal's death the young man had started to doubt his beliefs, it was clear from how his puppy-like, flippant behavior had gained a hard, dark edge. Sephiroth thought that some seriousness did Zack good, but the boy shouldn't have to grow up at such a cost. It suddenly crossed his mind how strange it was for him to be trying to win Zack over to his side. A few months ago, before meeting Aerith, he would have simply considered any man another enemy if circumstances had set them in opposition. As he had with Genesis. And Angeal. He shook his head; he had sailed dangerous waters then and returned to sanity just in time before something indescribable happened. He entered the private room where he had spoken with Tifa two days ago, and closed the door behind him. Zack was bending over his dinner with his back turned to the door, a half-eaten plate of food in front of him, probably Tifa's.

"What did you want so urgently, Tifa?" He asked. His attention was focused on the food before him, but suddenly he sensed that something was amiss and turned to look. Then he nearly dropped his fork. "Sephiroth? What are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to you," Sephiroth answered, only followed by silence. He sighed, then his lips turned to a half smirk. "I'm glad to see you are well, although it's clear that you still don't know how a soldier is supposed to act in front of his superior."

Zack's informality mostly entertained him since he wasn't the unfortunate one who had to teach him etiquette. But Sephiroth chose not to show his amusement too often, lest Zack be too encouraged. Zack stopped to stare dumbfounded at him then hastily stood at attention, but relaxed straight away.

"So why did we have to meet in secret?" He asked, confused.

"I need you to help us destroy the Shin-Ra Company," Sephiroth answered bluntly. He found that with Zack, most of the time straightforward speech was the most effective.

"Surely you realized during the hunt for Genesis that the Company is doing things in a way it shouldn't. They informed me that Aerith is your childhood friend. I met her in the Headquarters. In Hojo's laboratory," he stressed. Zack visibly flinched.

_Good_ , Sephiroth thought,  _he understands then what that means_.

"She told me many things, among others about the Lifestream, the planet's blood and soul, and how it is the same as the mako we use to produce electricity. She warned me that if the Shin-Ra E.P.C. continues its exploitation of the planet it will certainly result in a widespread catastrophe soon. She intends to somehow stop the Company before that, and I advocate her cause. Also it's high time for the Department of Science and Research to cease its activity and to stop the SOLDIER project."

"But why?" Zack interrupted. "Whatever you say, SOLDIERs aren't monsters!"

"Maybe SOLDIERs aren't," Sephiroth said slowly. "But us three, we are. Were. Remember the chimeras Angeal created, or Genesis's clones! Can humans do that?"

Zack swallowed.

"You are not monsters," he repeated desperately.

"Have you ever heard about the Project Jenova?" Sephiroth asked with an ice-cold voice. Zack shook his head, so Sephiroth continued.

"Approximately 30 years ago Shin-Ra scientists discovered an ancient archeological artefact, and labeled it Jenova. They thought it the preserved body of a Cetra, the race inhabitating the planet before humans. It was a mistake from their part though, this creature was of an alien race who probably came from the infinite space long before our times, and nearly exterminated the Cetras. They sealed the creature away when they couldn't destroy it. Then Shin-Ra excavated, studied, and used it for the purpose of producing soldiers with superior abilities. The Company thought it would benefit them to have an army enhanced with the legendary abilities of the Cetras, thus despite having no sufficient research data, the President funded the project to test the theories. They created the first three specimens- Angeal, Genesis and myself."

Zack had never seen Sephiroth this strained before. The man looked like he might explode any minute. Zack shook his head but was unable to interrupt. Sephiroth relentlessly continued his tale.

"Angeal and Genesis, they were injected with the cells of Jenova soon after birth. Hojo, on the other hand, used a different method, and exposed the embryo to the cells while in the womb. This way the effects of the alien DNA were more stable, causing me to escape the degradation process occurring in the other two." It cost him greatly to say these things, but he had to continue, to convince Zack.

"After examining the data derived from the three of us they found the procedure too hazardous, so they continued the program with adult subjects, simultaneously exposing them to the Jenova cells and mako. These subjects didn't get as strong but the side effects were also minimalized. This became the standard practice to create SOLDIERs."

Zack jerked up his head.

"Yes, Zack, you were also injected with it." Sephiroth said.

"I don't care!" The tension finally exploded in Zack. "I don't care if we're all merged with some freaky alien creature, the pride of the SOLDIER must remain the same!"

"Remember, Zack, remember why Angeal  _asked_ you to kill him? Was that not to protect his pride?"

Sephiroth's strange green eyes burned with his intense emotions. Zack staggered back as if the words had hit him. Angeal's death was something he tried very hard not to think of too often. The way his teacher and role model stood before him, looking at him with expectant eyes, asking to eliminate the threat he represented. Angeal was always straightforward with him. Then he lay on the floor, smiling, and white feathers fell... Zack flopped down to the chair, but looked up to Sephiroth with the last strand of hope in his eyes, hope to deny everything, to stop his world from tearing apart.

"But there's nothing wrong with you," he said.

"I... Aerith saved me. She showed me a new world. All the things she gave me, and I very nearly killed her here in Nibelheim, in front of the still living body of Jenova. Do you understand, Zack? While Jenova exists the chance remains that one day I will turn into a monster and kill Aerith, destroy everything I hold dear now."

The sound of pain in Sephiroth's voice was the last straw for Zack, he buried his face in his hands, and when he looked up his eyes were full of despair.

"So everything was futile? What about our pride and honor? How can we fight if the Company betrayed us? Tell me that! Does our life mean nothing, like the death of Angeal?"

"Zack. You must find your pride and honor in your deeds. Your choices. Angeal taught you that, didn't he?"

They stared at each other for a long time until Zack nodded. He pulled the sword he always carried with him from his back and lifted up to his face. For a while he just looked at it then he drew a deep breath and stood up.

"I will join you."

Sephiroth nodded contently.  _Angeal, you taught the boy well_ , he thought.

"Sort out your affairs with the military and desert in a way they can't follow your tracks. You have three days at most; the rebels are going to have a strategic assembly by then. Be ready by that time," he said, and went to the door.

"Sephiroth," Zack called.

Sephiroth stopped and looked back with one eyebrow raised in question.

"There's this guy in my squad, Cloud, not SOLDIER just a normal grunt but he's my underling and a friend, so I don't really want to leave him behind. You know, betray him and such. He's a good guy, honest and reliable and all that, and he's strong, a few years and he would be good for SOLDIER, just too young, really, I don't know what they think up there enrolling children, seriously, the poor guy is constantly doubting himself since he didn't make into SOLDIER. They should put more attention to the army, boys shouldn't be sent to the firing line this young..."

"Zack," Sephiroth interrupted the constant flow of words, the sign Zack recovered from the previous emotional crisis. "We are going to destroy Shin-Ra, not reform it."

Zack looked at him, taken aback by the finality of the statement, but gathered himself, and nodded. He found it difficult to think of the place he had belonged to for many years as his enemy, but he would work on it. Sephiroth searched the expression of the young man, and suddenly a small lopsided smile appeared on his lips.

"Bring the boy and anybody else you can't leave behind. But they will be your responsibility," he said and turned, leaving the room with the astonished SOLDIER in it.

Zack stared after him for a while, then stood at attention and saluted.


	6. Chapter 6

The silence hung heavy in the room as a dozen equally shocked people stared at one another, unable to utter even a single sound. Aerith didn't understand why everybody was so surprised. Tifa was the only one who expected this scene, and she was greatly enjoying herself. It was small but sweet satisfaction for her to see the total disbelief on every rebel's face, to know she wasn't the only one who had experienced the same reaction. The seconds passed and the crowded private room's air was so heavy with tension that it seemed harder and harder to breath.

"Well, at least I know now where you disappeared to." A blond man with a fine face, in an elegant purple suit, broke the silence. "Half of the Turks are after you, not that they have found any clues yet. You did give the Company a fright! After the incident with Genesis and Angeal they think you ended up the same."

"No, I'm sound both physically and mentally, and here by my best judgment. But I didn't expect to see you of all people here, Lazard. Now I understand why all our attempts to eliminate the rebels were unsuccessful," a frightfully polite answer arrived from the ex-General.

Lazard Deusericus, Director of SOLDIER, broke into a wide grin.

"Sephiroth, you can't imagine how delighted I am to see you here! And Miss Gainsborough, I was really worried about your safety, and I am very sorry I couldn't help you before. Also, I'm glad you joined us as well, Zack," he added.

Zack looked a bit puzzled but nodded. He hadn't fully recovered yet from the shock of seeing his commanding officer here, the soft-hearted, kind Lazard who nobody had ever understood how had been assigned as the head of the army's elite squad. But neither would anybody have thought him cooperating with the rebellion.

A faint smile remained on Lazard's lips as he continued to speak. "Now that we've gotten past the pleasure of happy reunions, we might as well get to our most important points. All of us gathered here has his or her reasons to oppose the Shin-Ra Electric Power Company. But we have two common goals: to stop the mako extraction, and to break the dominance of the Company. The question is how can we achieve both? We all have friends who can be called upon to help when the time is right, but we have no army to openly challenge the Shin-Ra military power. Although maybe now it wouldn't be a futile attempt." He glanced sideways to where Sephiroth sat a bit apart from the circle, leaning against the wall.

"At any rate it would be too hazardous. What I suggest from the experience of our previous efforts is to continue terrorist methods, and start with the blowing up of the reactors."

Aerith gasped. She started to object, eyes wide with horror thinking about the potential victims, but in the end she didn't say anything. She hung her head down because she didn't have any better idea either. If the Lifestream erupted it would have devastating consequences. Compared to that, the damage they might inflict would be almost insignificant. Almost.

Lazard gave her a sympathetic look and when nobody interjected anything, continued.

"There are five operating reactors in the rural areas and nine in the sectors of Midgar. First we need to take care of the countryside; preferably all five of them at the same time. I believe all of you have the necessary resources as we already have discussed this approach beforehand. Mayor Lockhart, your locals are poised to destroy the Mt. Nibel reactor, yes?" He turned the middle-aged man with an impressive mustache next to Tifa. Mr. Lockhart nodded, smiling a little.

"Barrett, will you do Corel? Splendid! Junon can go to Biggs and his group, and Gongaga to Wedge. Fort Condor…Cid? Alright." Lazard looked pleased with the efficiency of his comrades.

"After we nullify these reactors, I will ensure that the military moves out to handle the situation – of course a bit late. I can guarantee two days for this, after that, we need to move our target to Midgar. Unfortunately it would be suspicious if I do not strengthen its defenses, expecting an attack, but I will leave as many openings as I can manage. The plan is to attack all nine reactors at the same time for the greatest impact. Jessie, I count on you and the whole Midgar group. Zack, you as a first class SOLDIER will be a great help there. And the private there, what's your name? Cloud? I think you should go with Zack, to get the Reactor 0 under the Headquarters. I'm positive all of you can manage to get into the city at the appointed time unnoticed; the Midgar section here will help you with anything you need."

He looked around, but no question arose from the other rebels, all of them in a focused state of mind.

"Right, then the next step will be to take advantage of the ensuing chaos to attack the tower and to eliminate the Board. They'll definitely call an emergency meeting to gain control over the situation where all the executives will be present. Palmer, Scarlet, Heidegger, Reeve, Veld and I, that's four targets. Hojo normally won't poke his head out of his laboratory."

"I will take care of him," Sephiroth interjected. That earned some startled noise from the others; they had been trying to get used to his presence despite how hard that task was. Even Lazard flinched from the impact of his tone but quickly regained his composure.

"Right. Then he also will be in good hands," he replied to Sephiroth.

Zack seized the opportunity to ask what was bugging him.

"Why four? You six execs will be there, that's five targets, no?"

An unfathomable smile appeared on Lazard's face as he answered.

"Reeve is also with us."

"You're kiddin' me! It's like there's more on your side than theirs."

"Surprised, kid?" A man with an unlit cigarette in his mouth grinned at Zack, the one Lazard called Cid. "The way they fuck with shit no wonder it's hittin' the fan now."

Zack sighed. He liked being SOLDIER despite knowing they were artificially made stronger. This never bothered him; his results were his own. But he could never forget Angeal's death. Sephiroth was right, how could he take pride in a company that betrayed Angeal? He was returned from his dark thoughts by Lazard's voice as the man continued the briefing.

"If everything goes as planned, we will dispose the executives and the only remaining task will be to attack the President's office. It will be heavily guarded with both military personnel and the Turks. Shinra senior is unlikely to give up his position willingly; neither will he accept his guilt and change. Given his nature, he will hide behind his men till the end." Lazard took a deep breath, and continued.

"Sephiroth. Can I entrust this matter to you?"

Sephiroth raised his brow with mild curiosity. In the last ten years nobody in the Company had ever asked whether he would like to clean up the mess of others or not. Lazard included. This uncertainty in the current question wasn't raised by the fact Sephiroth no longer owed obedience to the man. There was some unspoken request on Lazard's face that Sephiroth couldn't interpret. He stared at the director for a while, contemplating, then nodded. He didn't have any reason to refuse; every gruesome thing in the Shin-Ra Company had been done with the President's consent. In the end, the man had to go or the future would be no different. Lazard sighed with relief.

"Then everyone has his task assigned. Two weeks from today the rural reactors will be attacked and destroyed, as we previously agreed that that much time will be sufficient for any preparation. Five destroyed reactors will deal a heavy blow to the power supply system and engage a significant part of the army. Fortunately the military power is currently only a fraction of the last years'; they didn't manage to replace the second and third class SOLDIERs lost in the mass desertion incident, partly due to my tenacious efforts. The desertion of the remaining two first class SOLDIERS has tipped the scales in our favor. One cannot ask for more favorable conditions," he finished. The others nodded in agreement.

"Two days after the initial phase the Midgar group takes action, Sephiroth from the outside, Reeve and I from the inside. We attack and gain control of the Shin-Ra Headquarters. By nightfall we'll have organized the press conference," he added with a smile.

Laughter erupted from several parts of the room, followed by friendly comments on Lazard's incorrigible optimism. He looked over the assembled rebels and felt hope from the bottom of his heart that they would succeed, they would be able to create a better world.

 

* * *

When everyone turned to leave the room, Sephiroth motioned Lazard to stay behind.

"What was it that you didn't want to say in front of everyone?" he asked bluntly.

Lazard froze for a moment but then looked at him unwavering, his voice hard.

"Sephiroth, look out for my brother! He is young and he can still change, learn from his mistakes. You're the only one who can eliminate our father so that Rufus won't be in danger. I don't dare trust him to anybody else."

Seeing the honest worry on Lazard's normally carefully controlled face, Sephiroth pulled his mouth to a faint smile. Maybe, with men like this, there wouldn't be a need to completely destroy Shin-Ra.

"I will do my best," he said, lightly patted Lazard's shoulder, and followed Aerith to the kitchen with Tifa on her side. Lazard stood there for a long time, and shook his head in disbelief. Since when was Sephiroth able to show such a gentle expression?


	7. Chapter 7

The time went by peacefully in the small house hidden between the vales of Mt. Nibel where the deserters of the Shin-Ra Company stayed until the day of the planned attack. Everything looked exactly the same as in Aerith's childhood, when Mayor Lockhart and his friends, the Gainsborough couple, had first brought her here to hide from her pursuers. The scenery of the tranquil little valley with the clear blue sky and the trees filled her with joy. She was sitting with Zack in front of the house, recalling many childhood memories and laughing without a care. They had met soon after Aerith's escape from the Shin-Ra Manor when his parents had moved to the town and become the mayor's trusted friends, and she, despite the shy child she was, also made friends with the boisterous boy. It made her smile to think about the first few times he stubbornly dragged her around to have fun in the mountains, paying no attention that she was terrified of the open sky. He was a good influence on her, in a way, and she smiled to herself. Zack's voice brought her attention back to the present.

"You know, I don't know what make of it, you and Sephiroth together I mean. You were my first love! You said you'd marry me!" He made a sullen grimace.

"Zack, I was nine and you eleven," she laughed.

"But still." He pouted but it was clear he didn't take seriously a word he said. Suddenly a shadow fell on him. He looked up and the pout froze on his face. Behind him Sephiroth stood with a naked katana in hand, his face expressionless, looking down at him without words.

"Uhm, I think I have things to do, huh, somewhere else," he spouted out with some difficulty and escaped as fast as he could.

Sephiroth sat down in his place, laid the sword down beside him and smiled at Aerith.

"Oooh, now you frightened poor Zack out of his mind." She tried to scold him with a serious face but failed the attempt. She could hardly hold the laughter in; seeing Zack silenced like that was an uncommon treat.

"I didn't do anything." He pulled his lips to a wide smile that made him resemble a cat stalking his prey.

"You're the scariest when you don't do anything." Her tone was absolute, but the same time she leaned onto Sephiroth's side and looked up at him with laughter in her eyes.

"I had to develop some technique to rein in the over-enthusiastic cadets." He shrugged. "Every officer disciplined in the best way he could. Genesis, for example, read poetry at them for hours while they stood at attention. Trust me; they were more afraid of him."

"And Angeal?"

"For some reason, they listened to him without much effort. Perhaps because he was always so reliable, a good role model?" Sephiroth wondered. Angeal was the only one who could keep the constant rivalry between him and Genesis within the limits of reason, who could compensate for their unpredictable nature with his level-headedness. Angeal died without knowing the existence of Jenova. What would he have thought about that? It would've been good to hear his answers. Sephiroth returned from the somber memories.

"Well, I happen to know that when he was utterly unable to tame his students, he made them practice with my simulation in the VR training room."

Aerith's joyous laughter filled the glen and echoed tinkling amid the mountain walls. Sephiroth's heart delighted in the way her face shone with joy and his soul overflowed with a bliss unknown before. He touched her face, caressed a stray lock away from her brow, bent down and kissed her. Aerith's eyes grew wide; endless green depths glimmered in them as she returned the kiss. They sat on the porch for a long time in silence, just smiling and looking at each other.

 

* * *

A few days later Aerith and Sephiroth were sitting on the porch watching Zack as the enthusiastic SOLDIER tried to ease his boredom by teaching Cloud how to use a sword. The young trooper got on surprisingly well with the unfamiliar weapon, and the glen echoed with their strong strikes. Sephiroth followed the movements of the blond boy with an expert eye. He felt the kid had talent and potential as he had made plenty of progress over a few short days, but he still lacked something essential. Sephiroth wasn't an inborn teacher as Angeal was, but his professional interest was piqued as Cloud was not only good with the sword but a natural with materia as well, his Bolt already making notable damage. Suddenly Sephiroth sprang up. He stepped to Cloud, corrected his form, showed him a new slash, waited till he practiced it then sent him against Zack. Cloud dutifully attacked, parried, stepped back as he had learned and started to get into the rhythm of the battle. Suddenly he heard a small noise from behind, caught a glint from the corner of his eye, and whirled around to intercept the incoming blow. Sephiroth nodded with satisfaction and lowered his katana. Cloud stared with impossibly wide eyes, quite unable to speak.

"Empty your mind during battle, focus only on your opponent and environment. Don't think about it, just act. You're fast enough when you relax." Sephiroth nodded. The young man turned into a small but ferocious fiend when touching a sword.

Cloud had never felt more exhilarated and embarrassed in his life.  _The_  General Sephiroth, personally teaching him, a mere trooper! And he said that Cloud was fast! He'd admired the General, the Hero of Wutai, his whole life but had never ever hoped to meet him in person. He was still staring in speechless, starry-eyed wonder when Zack thumped his back, making him stagger and return from his daydreams.

"See Spikey, I said the sword suits you! You won't be as strong as me but it's all good. Sephiroth thinks so too. You train with him and you'll learn everything about survival faster than Heidegger jumping on funds."

Sephiroth's eyes flashed as he turned to Zack, lifting his sword to the traditional greeting before a fight.

"It's been a long time since we practiced, Zack. Angeal would be sad if I let the student he had trained with so much effort grow lazy. Show me you don't wear his sword for decoration!" he teased.

"Cloud, step aside, and watch and learn. Just try to stay out of the firing line," Zack said with a broad grin and lifted the big Buster Sword off his back.

Zack's eyes lit up with excitement as always when he had the opportunity to fight with a worthy opponent. He idly whirled his sword with one hand, took a sidelong step circling Sephiroth who stood there looking deceptively still and relaxed, and Zack attacked without warning. Soon they seemed like a whirlwind of black clothes, glinting blades and dust. Metal clashing on metal made a loud ringing music to their dance-like duel. Their movements were hard to follow with unenhanced eyes but Aerith watched them all the same, and Tifa joined her on the porch, her eyes fixed on Cloud who stood at the far side of the yard.

"Whoa, Zack and Sephiroth are fighting! Cool!" Tifa said.

"They were teaching Cloud till now," Aerith smiled at her.

"Too bad I missed it. Cloud is so sweet! I don't know why he went to the army. Oh well, I guess it's good, otherwise we wouldn't have met. He was born in Modeoheim, did you know? He told me yesterday," she chatted happily. Then she suddenly turned gloomy, sighed tragically and put her head on her knees.

"If only he'd look at me like he does at Sephiroth. I mean look at how he worships the guy!"

Aerith laughed a little.

"I'm sure he will notice you too," she said.

"I hope so." Tifa sprang up and shouted indignantly at the fighters. "Hey, leave the trees!"

The two men stopped at once, looking around as if they had forgotten their whereabouts. Then they spotted the tree in question, now drooping sadly in the corner of the yard, sliced half by a clear blow. Zack scratched the back of his head, looking with apologetic eyes at Tifa. Then he burst out laughing, unable to help himself. It was seriously funny, the last pitiful branch swaying in the light breeze and everybody staring, completely stunned. Soon all the others joined him. Zack, bent in two with laughter, leaned on Cloud and the normally shy, reserved boy also chuckled. Zack stabbed his sword into the ground, and threw himself down on his back. He looked up to Sephiroth, who stood nearby, relaxed and even smiling a bit.

"I lasted at least three minutes longer than in the VR. And you didn't win, it was a draw! Was that program set too strong?"

"No, you've gotten stronger. Angeal would be proud of you," Sephiroth answered, now clearly smiling, a real, honest smile.

These peaceful days reminded him the good times with Angeal and Genesis, before the first cracks had appeared in their friendship, the jealousy and the shadow of degradation clouding their minds. Perhaps even more carefree and joyful. He laughed along with his comrades, friends, loved ones, and for the first time in his life, he truly felt free.


	8. Chapter 8

The central tower of the Shin-Ra Headquarters was shaken by repeated shock waves as the reactors exploded one after the other. The soldiers guarding the building were running around in confusion and the phone lines of the general staff remained silent. No order, not even a word of news came from the upper levels. Some officers pulled themselves together and instructed their men to evacuate the civilians. Others started to search for the source of the attacks - in vain because the rebels only attacked the reactors and hadn't invaded the tower. The only possible target they could identify was Sephiroth, who walked into the chaotic building nonchalantly, but they had only standing orders to report him and there was nobody to report to now. Actually, nobody really dared to stop him as he purposefully walked into the hallway, paying no attention at all to the turmoil. A step behind his back an unknown young girl followed. Sephiroth threw a cold glance around, successfully preventing any interference from the guards as they passed the hallway and went into the central parts of the tower.

Their first goal was the laboratory to prevent Hojo from escaping and after that they would deal with the President and convince Rufus of the error of the Company's previous ways. Aerith hoped the guards and Turks wouldn't want to protect the President down to the last man. She wouldn't want to see more people die if avoidable. The reactors and the President's demise were a necessary evil, and Hojo a special case. Even she couldn't have talked Sephiroth into letting the man live. And truth to be told, why would she do that? Hojo had to be stopped. They couldn't try him in court, the idea of him to realize his sins was rejected as impossible, and if he remained alive he would pose a threat they couldn't afford.

Sephiroth stopped in front of the plain white door that opened to Hojo's lab. He guessed the man had started to prepare for escape as soon as he realized something was wrong and therefore he must be inside at the moment, packing his notes. Sephiroth took a deep breath and... didn't open the door. He had only a single chance to take revenge, to settle the score, and that score was long. What should he start with? Should he call the man to account for the years spent locked-up, the experiments, his own existence? Or should he finish this as quickly as possible and kill Hojo without a word? He had imagined this moment in so many ways before, from childhood fantasies to part of strategic plans. Now he couldn't choose what he would like to do the most. At last he decided that indecisiveness didn't suit him so he raised his head, gripped his sword tightly, and stepped through the door.

Bullets were shot in his direction but he countered them with a swiftly raised Barrier, then he took a quick step, and with a small motion with his sword the gun clattered on the floor. Hojo cradled his bleeding hand to his chest, and snapped at Sephiroth, his voice full of indignation.

"Sephiroth! How dare you attack your father!"

Sephiroth watched the man who could still call himself his father, and still couldn't decide what to say. The overpowering desire to make Hojo pay for everything swirled inside him, freezing him in place, making him unable to act. The burning rage and hatred blew off of him in nearly tangible waves. Neither of the two men staring at each other with ire noticed Aerith as she silently stepped into the room, closed the door behind her, and leaned on the wall, not taking her eyes off the back of Sephiroth even for a moment. The seconds trailed long in the impasse.

Suddenly Hojo pulled out a green materia equipped in a small bracelet from his pocket, but Sephiroth was immensely faster. He moved before the scientist could activate the orb, his strike making a long diagonal cut at Hojo's chest. Blood flowed from the wound. Hojo groaned, fell to his knees, the materia rolled away, clanking on the floor from his shaky hand. He looked up to the man towering above him with scorn,  _my life's project, my greatest creation_ , he thought.

"I did everything for you, and you, you betray me! You should be thanking me for your privileged status. You owe me everything, you ungrateful child..."

Blood spouted from Hojo's mouth as he spat the words. He swayed, his eyes became unfocused and finally he collapsed to the floor. Sephiroth stood above him, raised his sword upright with its tip turned down, watched the man for a moment more, grimaced, and stabbed down with his full strength. He put all the accusation he couldn't say into that one thrust. When Hojo didn't stir anymore, he pulled out his sword. He had expressed his gratitude well; the sword ran so deep into the concrete floor he had to step on the body for leverage to get it out. He shot another glance down and sliced the head off, just to be on the safe side. Now they could be sure that Hojo was dead, and would remain dead. He shook the blood off the blade and turned to Aerith. She looked searchingly into his eyes.

"Is everything all right?" She asked.

She didn't seem unsettled by the scene; her eyes only spoke about concern and care. Instead of answering, Sephiroth just nodded. He couldn't sort out the feelings of having killed Hojo but he would have time to ponder things later. Now he had more work to do.

Aerith smiled at him, and lightly stroked his arm. Sephiroth embraced her, held her close for a second, and then they hurried forward to the topmost level of the building.

 

* * *

There were a dozen soldier guards in front of the President's office but none could've stood before Sephiroth. A flash of steel, half a turn, two impossibly swift steps and all the soldiers were down on the floor, unconscious. He stepped into the glass-walled hall occupying the whole topmost level of the Shin-Ra HQ. He took measure of the situation with a glance. The President was standing close to a door on the left side ready to escape any moment, six Turks guarding him with guns ready at hand. A bit further away Rufus Shinra stood, back to the wall, and Tseng, the second-in-command of the Turks, covered him. It took only a moment for the Turks to shoot at Sephiroth, but to no avail as he avoided every shot, slashed at two Turks who collapsed to the ground with bleeding arms, then he knocked away a knife flying at his direction, took a step forward and three more Turks went down. One sidelong thrust of the sword got rid of the fat President before he could reach the door and with the same flow of movement Sephiroth knocked down the last of the President's guards. He shook the blood off his sword and lifted it up, ready for the next attack. He turned to Tseng who still stood unmoving before the young Shinra heir, completely composed, even the gun didn't quiver in his hand. Slow seconds passed as Rufus, with eyes wide from terror, searched for any exit from behind his Turk. Everything happened too fast. One minute they were dealing with the issue of the rural reactor's bombing and in the next moment they saw through the glass walls the reactors of the city getting one by one engulfed by flames while the building shook from the shockwaves. Then before he could've gathered his wits their strongest soldier, who had disappeared week ago, stood in the door like some apparition, with wild lights in his strange, luminescent green eyes, and blood spurted everywhere and his father was dead. The blood buzzed in his ears, his heartbeat counted loudly the passing time. It wasn't long before the tension would erupt, resulting in more bloodshed as the SOLDIER and the Turk would attack each other. Suddenly a young girl stepped forward from behind Sephiroth's back. She touched his arm, and he looked at her. The bloodthirsty flames died down in his eyes. Then he lowered his sword, but his posture didn't relax much. The girl walked past the perplexed Turk, stood in front of Rufus, and looked straight into his eyes. Rufus stared back. He had never seen eyes so clear, so deep green, so full of the joy and beauty of life. A dull ache clenched his stomach that he couldn't identify. The girl studied his face for a while then spoke; her calm voice reminded him of the tinkling music of bells.

"I would like to show you something," she said.

She touched the boy's forehead and closed her eyes. The world was erased by a soft, white glow, and Rufus found himself alone in an endless, empty space. Suddenly flowers appeared under his foot, and the girl stepped beside him.

"My name is Aerith," she said, "and this place is where the Lifestream forms the border of two worlds. Have you heard about the Lifestream?"

The boy uncertainly nodded. He didn't want to add that he thought it a myth, a superstition.

"Endless flows the Lifestream between life and death, connecting all living thing of the Planet. Look!"

Pale green strands of light appeared around him, weaving around him, waving in delicate patterns, and he perhaps heard at the edge of perception a distant song of thousand quiet voices, but the words were lost to him. A single strand of the mass reached out toward him as if asking him to meet. Rufus warily lifted his hand and touched the vibrant little strand. He felt like his mother stood beside him gently caressing his face, somewhere in the distant past. He closed his eyes, and tears flowed down on his cheeks. He stood like that for a seemingly long time and when finally he raised his eyes to the patiently waiting Aerith, his look was both resolute and incredulous.

"The Planet is alive." There was no hesitation in his voice. "And we used this life as an energy source. What did we do! We nearly killed the Planet. My father did! Why, why didn't anybody know this?"

Aerith didn't say anything; she let Rufus find his own answers. After a short while he turned to her with a new realization on his face.

"This is why the bombings and the attack?"

Aerith nodded. "We couldn't find any other means."

Rufus stood a little longer deep in thought, and then he decided. "You're right. Bring me back; we have much work to do. We need to overcome the chaos, tend the injured and rebuild our world."

Rufus breathed in deep as someone emerging from under water. He was leaning on the wall of the glass room for support, the girl standing before him looking at him with serious eyes. A step away Tseng still pointed his gun at Sephiroth who waited unmoving, unconcerned. It must be that only a few seconds passed no matter how long it seemed in that other reality.

"Tseng, put down the gun," Rufus said with a voice still slightly shaky from the shock. But he stood up and dusted his white clothes, and helped the girl up too, quickly regaining his composure with every movement. He surveyed the room, the injured Turks, the corpse of his father, the smoking reactors through the windows.

"They aren't the enemy. We were. Until now," he stated. He took a deep breath, calmed his nerves and continued to instruct his last remaining man with his usual authority.

"Arrange medical attention for the injured, then contact the units 3, 14 and 18 to secure order in the tower and the units from 2 to 6 and from 10 to 12 in the city. Who remains from the Board?" He turned to Sephiroth.

"Lazard and Reeve," Sephiroth answered.

Rufus let out a relieved sigh.

"I'll call them. We need to gain control over the situation as soon as possible to prevent any further loss, then we can start to reorganize the Shin-Ra Corporation. From the foundations."

Tseng, as sharp as he was, didn't necessarily follow what had happened in the last few minutes. But Rufus Shinra had given clear instructions and he'd have time to ask after executing them. He looked at the rebel ex-general who now seemed reassured and lowered his sword of fearsome reputation, the girl whose mother he remembered well from the laboratory, and his superior who had taken hold of the reins as though he hadn't been made president merely minutes ago. Tseng nodded, and started to execute his orders.


	9. Chapter 9

Sephiroth stood by the window, immersed in his memories of five years ago. He saw again the snow covered crater, the Shin-Ra helicopter descending to the darkness below with its cargo and emerging again, free of burden, signaling that everything is ready for the next phase. He had stood at the edge of the cliffs in the icy, howling wind. A step away Aerith had knelt with a whitish globe of materia clutched in her hands, and between them Zack- his hand ready on the handle of his sword, ready for any possibility. It had been the strangest experience – Aerith kneeling in complete silence, still, they thought they heard her voice softly singing; the only sight as far as enhanced eyes could see was the snow swirling, but they felt as though smoldering white flames were emerging from the crater, dancing through the sky, burning the calamity to ashes. He remembered standing straight, immobile, only the slight tremors of his clutched fist displaying the inner turmoil he felt as the foreign will embedded in his cells urged him, screaming to stop the destruction, to save her. He never told anyone how hard a struggle it was to be himself then; although Zack might well have known since he agreed to remain there, stationed between him and Aerith, to protect her. Aerith surely knew as well, since she needed no words to understand him. And with that they finally saw the end of the nightmare.

"General, sir, the President says he awaits you in his office," the voice of his secretary returned him from his memories. He turned his back to the window and the sight of the hanging gardens of Midgar to look at his subordinate. Trevort, his secretary, had the breathtaking ability to keep track of who was doing what at every moment in the gigantic forest that was Shin-Ra HQ.

"Right." He answered. "Forward the report on the latest trading agreement with Wutai to Director Shinra; I added notes on the problematic parts of the transmission of weapons. Also remind Commander Fair that I want his report on my desk,  _today,_ " Sephiroth noticed the resigned little sigh his secretary breathed. He smiled; making Zack do his paperwork was a task deserving a bonus. "And tell him I said to check if he can still hold his sword," he added.

Even Trevort's all-professional expression lightened up a bit hearing the General of the Shin-Ra army and the Commander of the Midgar City Patrols teasing each other.

Sephiroth suddenly stopped at the door, turning back to look at the secretary.

"Do you know where Aerith is?" He asked.

"In the Urban Development Department, planning the gardens of Sector 6 with Director Tuesti," came the answer without even a moment of hesitation. Sephiroth stared at him for a split second, baffled, then nodded and left. Sometimes the suspicion arose in him that not only supersoldiers but omnipotent secretaries were developed in the awful labs of the old Shin-Ra and that Trevort was the successful result.

 

* * *

He found President Lazard Deusericus hunched over some blueprints.

"Did you see Cid's latest designs? Look," he showed the paper to Sephiroth. "Of course it won't get into space either but it will be a splendid medium range airliner. Good for the growing traffic with Wutai. Rufus is really enthusiastic about it; he's planning on expanding the transportation area. I count on it; he has a good eye for business, he's doing a better job at the Commerce and Industry Department than anybody would have thought. But I didn't call you for that. Did you get Strife's resignation letter? Do you know why he wants to leave us? Is there a problem with the Nibel Area Patrols?"

"No, to my knowledge everything is fine there," Sephiroth answered as he sat comfortably in front of Lazard's desk. "I asked Aerith whether she knew his reasons; she said Cloud is planning to open a motorbike mechanic workshop to have a more predictable schedule now that Tifa's expecting a child."

He leaned back with a carefully neutral expression and waited for the reaction. He wasn't disappointed. Lazard's jaw hung slightly open as he stared in utter bewilderment. Sephiroth actually found it really amusing even though at first he was surprised of the news, too. Maybe not this surprised, he thought, as he waited for his superior to recompose himself. Lazard shook his head, muttered something about the youngest of them taking the plunge first.

"I suppose we should let him go, then. I'll look into who can we replace him with. On another note, I'd like you to submit your yearly training proposal before you go and also prompting Zack to announce how many new recruits he needs in the Patrols would be appreciated."

"He's your subordinate, not mine," Sephiroth eluded without a blink. The answer though was clear on Lazard's face:  _when I can threaten him with a sword too, then I will chase him around myself_. He allowed his lips to turn up to a small smirk.

"I'll see if I can affect him."

"If you can't then it must be the end of the world," Lazard shook his head with resignation. "I hope you realize I won't get a single document from him while you're away. You had to take a vacation in recruitment period, as if I don't have enough work already."

Sephiroth looked definitely unapologetic; he hadn't once taken a leave since the reformation of Shin-Ra, which was close to five years now. They would manage without him for a month for sure, no matter how the President liked to complain over his workload. As for Zack's paperwork, it was mostly done by the secretary anyway. They caught each other's eyes above the desk, the mutual fondness undeniable between them. Lazard let out a small laugh.

"You two deserve that break. Have a nice time, then I'll see you when you return to the treadmill!"

 

* * *

Sephiroth stopped on his way to the Urban Development Department and looked out a window. The scenery unfolding before his eyes didn't resemble the one five years ago. There was no more permanent smog over the city nor the eerie green glow of mako reactors. They already finished the clearing of the ruins and the cultivation of the desert proceeded according to schedule. The previously barren basin now was laced by gardens and low-roofed houses.

Aerith with Tuesti's team worked very hard to heal the scars of Midgar. Their office was in its usual state of disorder, leaning into complete chaos. Amid walls full of different plans and blueprints and graphs, rows and cases of potted plants and seedlings, and tables littered with documents and scale-models Aerith barely stood out as she was engrossed in drawing the picture of an orchard. Sephiroth stopped behind her and she turned to him, her features lighting up with a joyous smile.

"Sephiroth, look, this apple orchard would look perfect in the outskirts of Sector 6! It would, right?"

He smiled and nodded. He didn't know what magic made Aerith able to do it, but the Banora Whites would truly look good there.


	10. Epilogue

Under the softly glowing crystal-like trees the surface of the water was exceptionally smooth. The air was mild, fragrant with the same silent, expectant tranquility as the early hours of dawn just before the sky turns light. Sephiroth watched the strange forest with unguarded awe. No bug or bird broke the silence but it felt as if the trees themselves were singing, somewhere at the edge of hearing. Aerith squeezed his hand; her eyes reflected the lights of the enchanted forest as she looked at him. They both shed their clothes and stepped into the lake. The cool water felt like silk on their skin as they took slow steps, barely rippling the surface. They stopped at the center of the lake in the waist-deep water, and faced each other. The moments bore a peculiar feeling of timelessness as they just stood and looked at each other; the light of the trees glistening in Aerith's eyes, on Sephiroth's hair. She dipped her hand in the molten, silver-like water and raised it to him to drink, and he followed her actions. The water ran down in glittering rivulets on their naked skin as they bathed each other, slowly, mutely, taking delight in each other, their eyes wide and intent, full of devotion and joy. Finally they stood facing each other, gaze still locked together, deep emeralds with luminescent light green, and he leant down and kissed her. She stepped closer to him, skin pressed to skin, warm and alive, embracing each other in that sacred place, in the presence of the planet, with the blessing of the Cetra ancestors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it. It was a learning experience back then, and no matter how it makes me cringe now I wanted to keep this up. Hopefully others can enjoy it even a bit! :)

**Author's Note:**

> Crossposting from ffnet. Beta by the amazing Bjanik. My first ever fanction, back from 2013, and it shows :D now let me find a hole to hide in...


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